Hoist construction



Oct. 20, 1953 F. LOCK 2,656,150

HOIST CONSTRUCTION Filed Dec. 6, 1951 INVENTOR BY F Look %%m ATTORNEY Patented Oct. 20, 1953 HQIST ooNsraUcTmN Frank Lock, Philadelphia, Pa, assignor to .The Yale & Towne Manufacturing Company, Stamford, (301111., a corpcrationof Connecticut Application December 6, 1951, Serial No. 260,200

1 Claim. 1

This invention relates to that class .of hoists in which a rotating load wheel has a chain engaged over it for lifting the load. More particularly, my invention relates to the means that is provided at the bottom of such hoists for guiding the load chain relatively to the wheel. In order to assure smooth and reliable operation in hoists of this class, the guiding means must hold the chain aligned in particular positions While approaching and leaving the wheel, and this involves also stripping the chain links from the wheel as it rotates. Hoists .have utilized for this purpose at least one bottom guide member in addition to the housing of the hoist, and in some cases several parts were required to perform the stripping and guiding functions so that each of these parts was a separate factor to be considered in the manufacture and assembly of V the hoist.

As one feature of my invention, I utilize for guiding the load chain at the bottom of the hoist a novel unitary guide member that forms a part of the housing. All of the surfaces that guide the chain to and from the load wheel and that strip the chain from the wheel are presented by integral parts of this guide member, and therefore the bottom guide means is complete in the housing itself and no additional parts are required for the purpose. Preferably, the guide member is secured between the side plates of the housing, thereby serving also as the bottom closure of the housing.

As another feature of the invention, I so combine the bottom guide member with the guide means in the upper part of the housing as to offer a substantially continuous surface for guiding the chain from the upper to the lower part of the housing. This I accomplish by forming the bottom guide member to lap the upper guide means at the location of one of the guide apertures in the guide member.

I have thus outlined rather broadly the more important features of my invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that my contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are, of course, add1t1onal features of my invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject of the claim appended hereto. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception on which my disclosure is based may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures for carrying out the several purposes of my invention.

Referring now'to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side view, Partly in section, showing a hoist that embodies a preferred form of my novel guide means.

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken on the Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing my novel bottom guide member apart from the hoist.

In order to illustrate my invention, I have shown in the drawing a hoist of that class in which a load wheel "1 rotates in a housing Ill to operate a load chain 12 that is trained over the wheel. The hoist is adapted to be anchored through a hook 13 that is pivoted to the top of the housing H so that upon rotation of the load wheel in the chain 12 will lift or pull a load car 'ried by a load hook I4 that is attached to one end of the chain. The load hook It preferably has a swivel [5 to relieve any incidental twisting of the chain. As is usual in hoists of the particular class, the load chain I2 is of the type having links i6, i1 that alternate in transverse planes, and the loadwheel II] is interengaged with the chain through teeth 18 that, in the eX-- ample shown, are three in number. The arrangement is such that the links l6 engage fiatwise against the periphery of the load wheel H] as the wheel rotates, while the teeth I8 become engaged between successive links [6 and receive parts of the transversely related alternating links I! in grooves l9 formed in said teeth. Thus, when the load wheel [0 is rotated by the means that is provided for the purpose, the load chain I2 is positively moved in a corresponding direction in the housing.

The prior art has resorted to various expedients for the purpose of causing the chain links to approach the load wheel in properly oriented positions, and also to leave the wheel at the proper point. By my invention, I have contributed an extremely novel construction of the housing H for guiding the load chain l2 to and from the load wheel I 0, as will now be described. The housing II includes a pair of side plates 20, 2| between which the load wheel I 0 is located, and below the load wheel the housing has as a part thereof a bottom closure 22 that is secured between the side plates 20, 2| by a pin 23 engaged through a transverse aperture 23a in the closure. The closure part '22 preferably is a casting and, because this part provides the guide means for-the chain, it may also be termed a guide member.

An upper part 24 of the guide member 22 is so located as to enter the grooves l9 in the teeth [8 as the load wheel I!) rotates, thereby serving as a stripper to remove the chain links l6, l1 positively from the load wheel I as this point. Around the stripper 24, the upper surface of the guide member 22 is concave to provide clearance for the teeth I8. At opposite sides of the stripper 24, and aligned with opposite parts of the load wheel II], are a pair of apertures 25 that afford passage for the chain l2 through the closure member 122 to and from the load wheel l0. These apertures 25 are cross-shaped in horilinks 16, ll pass over the wheel, the housing H has an inner surface that operates in the usual way to prevent outward movement of the links away from the wheel. In my invention, I form this surface upon a curved upper guide member 2'3 that is secured by screws 27 and that laps the bottom guide member 22 at least at one end adjacent the unloaded free portion of the chain l2.

This construction is particularly useful because the free portion of the chain i2 normally is relatively slack and may have a tendency to become disarranged relatively to the load wheel I9. In order to accomplish this arrangement, I form the corresponding end of the bottom guide member 22 with an upward extension 28 that laps inwardly of the end of the upper guide member 26. The cross-shaped aperture 25 in this end of the bottom guide member is continued through the extension 28 in such a way that a part of the guiding surface of this aperture joins the guiding surface of the upper guide member 26. These surfaces thereby afiord-means for guiding the outer edges of the links H continuously between the upper part of the housing II and the lower end of the aperture 25, so that no jamming of the chain can occur.

It is believed that the operation and the advantages of my novel hoist will now be apparent from the foregoing description.

I now claim:

In a hoist of the class described, a housing, a pair of side plates forming part of said housing, a load wheel rotating in said housing between said side plates, a load chain comprising interlocking transversely related links trained over said load wheel whereby rotation of said load wheel lifts and lowers a load through said load chain, a cast member forming a part of the bottom and ends of said housing between said side plates and closing the bottom of said housing below said load wheel, a transverse pin holding said cast member in assembled position between said side plates, said cast member having spaced cross-shaped apertures through which said load chain enters and leaves said housing whereby said load chain is maintained in predetermined alignment relatively to said load wheel, upper guide means for guiding said load chain in said housing, said upper guide means overlapping a portion of said cast member whereby to guide said load chain relatively to one of said cross-shaped apertures. and integral means on said cast member above and between said apertures for stripping said chain from said load wheel.

FRANK LOCK.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 281,195 Lavery July 10, 1883 748,762 Lorin Jan. 5, 1904 1,348,034 Moore July 27, 1920 2,165,984 Schroeder July 11, 1939 2,493,727 Parker et al. Jan. 3, 1950 

